Brian, was one of the last people to see Norma alive. He said: “We used to see her and her mum every week on a Saturday. Norma went to a dance school in Acomb and our house was nearby in Howe Street and they used to call in for a cup of tea and a play.

“It was a normal morning, but Norma was pleading to stay and did not want to go home. But her mum wanted to get some material and make a skirt for her going to school.

“But Norma was not allowed to stay and my mother [Mabel Dale] beat herself up about that for a long time.

“‘If only I had let her stay,’ she would say – my mum blamed herself.”

Her body was found by 11-year-old Michael Duffy on September 22, 1946 – she was four years and ten months old.

Another of Norma’s cousin’s Alan Powell, 80, said he believes she was killed because she saw something she shouldn’t have.

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He said: “The person who did it probably can’t be brought to justice now – but at least we can get some closure and find out what happened, put the case to bed.

“We have known all along it’s not a dead case, it’s live as far as NYP is concerned, and they hadn’t forgotten about it, but I think 70 years on is possibly a good time to have another look at it and see if we can come to a conclusion.

“You never know, it’s just possible someone remembers something they overheard or saw that might give police a new lead.

“I remember laying on the floor at home pretending to read a comic, but listening to my parents and one of mum’s sisters or brothers talking about it.

Police search wasteland for clues, reported on decades away and still unsolved

“From what I can remember the person they suspected had an alibi for the crucial ten minutes, but who the person was, I wouldn’t like to say.

“The general opinion at the time was that Norma had walked in and seen something she shouldn’t have seen, and was murdered because of it.”

He said if the murder had happened today, the red shoe would have been tested for more clues, and there might have been DNA on it which could have cracked the case.

A police spokeswoman said: “Officers from the Major Crime Unit have made contact with the family of Norma Dale and North Yorkshire Police has confirmed that the case is under review.

“We will be continuing our enquiries but would appeal to any member of the public who holds any information or evidence that has the potential to identify and ultimately convict the person responsible.”

If you have any information call 101, select option 2 and ask to speak to the Major Crime Unit.

Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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